Dogs help uncover record haul of drugs hidden in lumber

Chilean authorities on Monday announced a record seizure of over 1,000 tons of drugs hidden in lumber shipments destined for Europe, hailing its canine teams for helping lead to an “historic seizure” for the South American nation.

“Thanks to a joint effort by the prosecutor’s office, maritime police, and customs, 1,080 tons of wood laced with various drugs were seized, marking a historic blow to organized crime in our country,” the customs bureau said in a statement.

The drugs found in the lumber were mostly cocaine and ketamine, with an estimated retail value of $8.3 billion on the European market, the statement added.

“To give you a point of comparison, that’s equivalent to 100 years of our budget,” Vice Adm. Arturo Oxley said in the statement.

The bureau said the illicit drugs are usually sent to more than a dozen international markets, including the United States.

The agency credited canine teams and “special technologies” with being able to uncover the drugs, and released images of sniffer dogs next to the timber.

“It is worth highlighting the ongoing training of our staff, as well as the work carried out by our canine units throughout the country,” National Director of Customs Alejandra Arriaza said in a statement. “This was a significant discovery made possible by the resources and tools that Customs and other institutions provide to achieve such important results.”

Following a six-month investigation, authorities identified 45 containers arriving from Bolivia with the tainted lumber.

If the cargo had reached their intended destinations, the drugs would have to be extracted using “advanced chemical processes” in specialized labs, the customs officials said.

The total haul could grow as additional suspicious containers are examined.

In April, Brazilian police seized a record 48 tons of drugs uncovered by chance by a sniffer dog named Hulk in Rio de Janeiro.